1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to log splitting devices, and more particularly to log splitters adapted for use with chain saw power units.
2 Description of the Prior Art
The task of splitting logs has heretofore been achieved either by way of manually driven wedges or by wedges connected to parge power units specifically designed for such application. Most often log splitting is a function closely associated with the process of dismembering trees or branches which presently is best accomplished by chain saws. The portability of the chain saw is well recognized and the production enhancement it provides is most aptly demonstrated by the wide acceptance thereof in the logging industry. The popularity of the chain saw, in fact, reaches beyond the logging industry. This tool is presently enjoying extremely wide acceptance by the average home user. Typically a home user converts any timber cut into fire wood rather than into lumber and the task of splitting logs is therefore quite popular.
Most of the prior art log splitters either require extensive manual labor or entail complex, very expensive, power assistance, specifically designed for this unique use. Furthermore, the prior art log splitters rely on extremely high force levels in order to complete the split, the use of the wedge being the primary mode of operation. Logs, particularly those sectioned from the upper trunk of the tree, include various knots and the associated arrangement of fiber. Thus, even with the most complicated splitting devices developed in the prior art there always remains some residual labor entailed in separating fibers in order to complete the split.